[Archive]: Ceph News from 2002

Titanites

News Archive (Year 2002)December 9, 2002
In an update to the August 2002 news story about thousands of squid (Dosidicus gigas) being unexplainedly stranded off California shores, the Monterey Herald has released an article regarding speculation that perhaps the squid became disoriented by domoic acid, which is naturally toxic. Comments

November 7, 2002
Actor/Comedian Bill Murray will be starring in an upcoming movie titled "The Squid and The Whale," along with Laura Linney and John Turtorro, according to this article from KillerMovies.com. It doesn't seem to actually have anything to do with squid, but I like the title.

November 2, 2002
According to DCMilitary.com's This week in naval, aviation history, today (November 2nd) is the 124th anniversary of the discovery of the largest known squid in Thimbletickle Bay, Newfoundland.

October 13, 2002
REUTERS -- According to an article published this week, Angel Guerra (of the Spanish Institute of Scientific Research) is speculating that the giant squid strandings off the coast of Spain are happening because of global warming.

August 16, 2002
Reuters published an article regarding the booming squid population, which includes quotes from Dr. Steve O'Shea.

July 27, 2002
Thousands of Dosidicus gigas (a.k.a. jumbo flying squid) have washed ashore in California according to a CNN report, and a story from Yahoo! News. They were as large as 2 feet in length and made a dolphin-like or seal-like noise when dying.

July 22, 2002
Dr. George Jackson has granted TONMO.com permission to post the following photographs of the stranded Architeuthis that washed ashore in Australia on 7/21.

Click an image to enlarge.

Articles pertaining to this story are available at the following links. Initial reports indicated this was a new species of giant squid, but our own Dr. Steve O'Shea quickly debunked those reports, as indicated in the latter article.

July 4, 2002
According to an article by United Press International, several new species of tiny octopus (each smaller than a quarter) have been discovered in jars in a museum. Sounds like the scientists have their hands full in trying to classify the little guys, whose lifespans are probably less than one year.

June 13, 2002
CNN's SCI-TECH News Website issued a fascinating report regarding a seemingly gigantic creature living at the bottom of the ocean. Researchers have nicknamed the beast "Bloop", based on the sound being picked up by undersea microphones. Some think it may be a GIANT giant squid, others are doubtful it's a cephalopod. After reading the article, be sure to join in on the fun discussion on the TONMO.com Message Board.

May 27, 2002
It's that time of year again: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the United States, the National Hockey League holds its 7-game championship series to determine the best in the league. This year, the Detroit Red Wings have made it to the finals. As previously reported on this site, it is a long-standing tradition for Red Wings fans to throw (presumably dead) octopuses onto the ice rink to show support for the team. This week the Detroit Free Press released this article about the tradition and got some quotes from Dr. James B. Wood of The Cephalopod Page. (He's also a regular visitor to TONMO.com and can be seen posting on our message board from time to time.)

March 28, 2002
Giant Octopus Found Off New Zealand, by Nancy King
CNN reports that the body of what scientists believe is the largest octopus ever seen[/url] (*although other scientists disptute this) was found in the deep waters off New Zealand's Chatham Islands. Caught in a trawler's net, the badly damaged specimen is believed to be 13 feet long and weigh over 160 pounds, which makes it the size of a mature giant squid. Marine biologist Steve O'Shea provisionally identified the octopus as Haliphron Atlanticus, a bright red, deep-water species not previously found in the South Pacific. More coverage (with a terrific photograph) can be found at the BBC website.

*The record for the largest octopus ever seen was for a Giant Pacific Octopus that weighted 272 kg (600 pounds!) and was 30 feet from
arm tip to arm tip, according to several scientific papers. While there is
some concern over how accurately the animal was weighed, it was clearly well
over the "new" record described above. - Dr. James B. Wood

March 10, 2002
Following up on last week's news article about the discovery of 14 living, baby giant squid, Discovery has launched a major Giant Squid Feature that includes lots of information and remarkable photographs of all things squid and octopus. It also includes an interactive utility that lets you simulate going down in a deep sea submersible -- you can see animations of exotic fish and click to learn more. You won't want to miss the end of the journey! It's very entertaining and educational, for all ages. From March 11 through March 14th 2002, you can submit your questions to Dr. Steve O'Shea, who is features in the documentary "Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid.", which will first air on Monday, 3/11.February 27, 2002
Major breakthrough for octopus and squid fans -- according to an article on the Discovery website, 14 living, baby giant squid were discovered off New Zealand. Unfortunately the scientists weren't able to keep them alive for the trip back to shore, but they did capture a nice picture which is included in the article. On March 11, 2002, the Discovery Channel will air the new documentary, "Chasing Giants: On the Trail of the Giant Squid." February 17, 2002
The Seattle Aquarium last week celebrated its first-ever Octopus Week, and kicked it off by setting Sabrina the octopus free into the ocean. An article in the Seattle Times told the story of Sabrina, and included a picture of her with Roland Anderson, aquarium curator.

February 12, 2002
This week there was a report regarding the discovery of dinosaur vomit -- specifically that of an ichthyosaur. Amongst the contents of this vomit were the shells of squid-like creatures called belemnites. Apparently this was the food of choice for extinct marine reptiles. By the way, Richard Ellis is working on a book about extinct marine dinosaurs according to a recent interview with TONMO.com.

February 8, 2002
An article appeared in the The Seattle Times regarding the unvieling of the new squid sculpture in Pike's Place Market. It's suspended 30 feet in the air and is 26 feet long. That thing is cool! I want one for my front yard.

January 14, 2002
The BBC has released an article about the capture of a giant squid, a.k.a. Architeuthis. The squid was netted by a fishing trawler and was missing its tentacles, but the rest of it was pretty well in tact. It will be displayed at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, Devon.

January 13, 2002
The March issue of Aquarium Fish Magazine features a 7-page article on octopuses and octopus care for the home aquarium.

January 3, 2002
SAN FRANCISCO -- An article about the migration habits of the Great White Shark touches on the fact that the Global Census of Marine Life is organizing an effort to monitor large squid (among other sea animals) to learn more about the migration patterns of creatures of the deep.